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It was not my intention when first planting my garden to make it weed and heat resistant.  I had this small space and wanted to grow so many plants that I had to layer them for successive bloom times.

Becky Shasta can become floppy after a storm or when they get as large as they have this year.  The firmness of the Knockout roses in the foreground give them some stability.  Once the Becky Shastas and Lavon Lilies are finished, they will be trimmed, lilies a small amount and shastas to the ground.  The roses will take over again and bloom until the first frost.

Red Rum is a shorter daylily in this full border.  They will be cut down when finished blooming and again the roses and heucherellas, perennial geraniums and brunnera will take over.

There are many benefits to growing plantings close together, i.e., weed control, moisture retention because the roots are shaded, support for surrounding plants on the sides and back and blooms throughout the season.

This is a mid-season blooming phlox, unlabeled last year at Home Depot.  I think it might be Peppermint Twist.  You can have phlox blooming all season if you plant varieties with different bloom times and extend them even further by deadheading.  Blue Paradise in the background is the first and last to bloom in my garden.

Laura is a shorter phlox and covers up the stems and possible brown leaves of Franz Schubert.  I always grow something in front of phlox, such as, daylilies, roses, etc.

Chicago Rosy Daylily covers the stems of Franz Schubert on the driveway side.

Bubblegum Phlox is beginning to bloom in the island bed.

Eileen Clymer Daylily blooms in front of it on one side and Lavon Lilies on the other.

Orienpet Lavon Lilies

Chicago Apache Daylily

Don Stevens Daylily

Orienpet Conca d'Or

This is wonderful mid-size lily that is striking in the front border.  When cut the stalks will be hidden by the shrubbery and and other plantings.  The lighter colored lilies do better in the heat, darker ones tend to fade in full sun

The heat has been intense, over 100 degrees with little rain but all of these plantings have weathered well with some water each day.  The hydrangeas and rhodies do not do well in the heat no matter how much you water (one rhodie lost).

Supertunia Vista Bubblegum

It was 102 degrees when I took this photo.  Lots of plants in the garden look a little weepy, not this one!

My goal is to have plants that hold up to the heat in containers and there aren't many.  However, this is one that does in baskets on my fence.  It isn't always exciting to have just petunias in a container, but it's alive and beautiful with minimal watering!

Again, not always exciting, cactus, crotons and purslane, but they love the heat and look great all summer.

Our climate is not what it used to be and slowly I am beginning to choose more appropriate plantings and using methods such as more dense planting to conserve soil moisture in times of extreme heat.  I have also learned that the larger the planter the easier it will be to maintain container plants throughout the season.  Makes sense doesn't it?